This past Monday I officially started in the Bejsovec Lab, a biology lab that studies molecular mechanisms for embryo development in the Drosophila or fruit fly model. After my first week in lab, I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of the progeny from my first fly crosses, which are expected to eclose (or hatch) tomorrow! This first week has definitely been filled with challenges as I grapple with understanding my project and how to think about the expected outcomes from the crosses performed. I have definitely made my fair share of mistakes this week but at the same time I have learned a lot pertaining to my project. I am excited to continue learning and begin (hopefully) making discoveries (big or small) within the scope of my project.
My hopes for my summer research experience with BSURF is that I get to learn about my research interests and how I can incorporate research into my remaining years at Duke and beyond. I think up until this point, I’ve had a narrow idea as what my future at Duke could look like. Many people talk about research and seem to know exactly which lab they want to go into and what working in a lab entails. However, I did not. In this first week alone, I’ve learned a lot about the pace of research and how the day to day life in lab can be so different when discussing my day compared to my peers. I anticipate that as the program continues, I will learn more about research in other fields as well as within my own lab’s field.
Finally, I hope to make mistakes and learn from these mistakes. As I mentioned previously, I’ve already made many mistakes this week alone. However, as Dr. Grunwald has mentioned to us throughout the week, we will make mistakes and hopefully we will learn from these mistakes to become better scientists. Thankfully, I’ve already owned up to what I don’t know and my gracious mentor and PI, Dr. Amy Bejsovec, has been more than accommodating and willing to explain concepts and ideas to me whenever I have questions. Overall, I am very excited to rise to the challenge that my lab presents me and contribute in any way possible.
I was working on the genotype and phenotype for the crosses I have in the incubator.
